I’ve always wanted to make something with candy cane beets because they’re so gorgeous. I knew that roasting and other heavy heat methods of cooking can mute the striped pattern, so I thought that if I sliced the beets thinly enough, they wouldn’t need to be cooked as much. The super-fine raw beets weren’t bad, but in the end I decided to steam them, which helped. Placing them in a single layer encouraged them to soften quickly and preserved the pretty red-and-white pattern.

2 medium beets, scrubbed and greens removed (I used Chioggia.)

2 medium tomatoes (Flavorful heirlooms work well.)

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

1 small shallot, minced

salt and pepper

leaves from 2 or 3 oregano stems

Use a mandolin to thinly slice the beets. (Mine were close to paper-thin.) Add about 1/2 inch of water to a large pan. Place an expandable steamer basket in the pan. Lay out the beets in a single layer on top of the steamer basket, working in batches if necessary. Cover, bring to a boil, and steam for 2 minutes. Repeat this process until all beets are tender.

Divide the beets and tomatoes among 4 plates, layering as you go.

Prepare a vinaigrette by whisking together the olive oil, vinegar, shallot and salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the 4 salads. Top with oregano leaves. Serve at room temperature.